Lehigh Valley High School Students Bring the Bard’s Beloved Comedy to Life this Holiday Season on the Main Stage at DeSales University
CENTER VALLEY, PA—November 6, 2025—Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival (PSF) is proud to announce the launch of The Muse of Fire Project, a groundbreaking educational initiative that places high school students from across the Lehigh Valley at the center of a fully-realized Shakespeare production. Performances of Much Ado About Nothing will take place December 20 at 7:00 PM and December 21 at 2:00 PM on the Main Stage at the Labuda Center for the Performing Arts on the campus of DeSales University, in Center Valley, PA.
This innovative program represents an expansion of PSF’s educational outreach, giving local high school students the rare opportunity to perform on a professional stage while working alongside professional directors and artists. After weeks of rehearsals at the Allentown Public Library, these young artists are preparing to present their modern take on Shakespeare’s witty romantic comedy, Much Ado About Nothing.
“When you bring together talented high school students from across multiple districts and give them the tools to not just perform Much Ado About Nothing, but to truly inhabit it, something magical happens,” said Kim Carson, PSF’s Director of Education and Community Engagement, who is also directing the production. “Students who may have seen Shakespeare as a barrier are now breaking through it with courage, creativity, and passion. These young artists are proving that classical theatre isn’t locked in the past; it’s alive, vital, and waiting for the next generation to carry it forward.”
The project offers students hands-on experience in all aspects of theatrical production, whether they act, build, design, or run crew, and features a talented group of young artists from over a dozen schools across the region.
The cast includes Adryan Sein Diaz (Dieruff High School) as Hero, Jackson Mascio (Saucon Valley High School) as Benedick, and Hakeem Qayyum (Parkland High School) as Claudio. The production is supported by a dedicated student crew, led by Stage Manager Gwen Jones (Southern Lehigh High School) and Assistant Stage Manager Meredith Christie (Homeschool). See the full list of the cast and crew below.
Performance & Ticket Details:
What: William Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
When: December 20, 2025, at 7:00 PM and December 21, 2025, at 2:00 PM
Where: Main Stage, Labuda Center for the Performing Arts, on the campus of DeSales University, Center Valley, PA.
Tickets: Purchase your $10 tickets here. Tickets are general admission and can also be purchased at the box office on the dates of the performance.
To learn more about The Muse of Fire Project and PA Shakespeare Festival’s education initiatives please contact Kim Carson, Director of Education and Community Engagement at [email protected].
For more information about Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival and its upcoming 2026 Summer Theatre Series visit www.pashakespeare.org.
The Muse of Fire Project—Shakespeare’s Much Ado About Nothing
Directed by Kim Carson
Cast in alphabetical order:
Elijah Christie—Borachio, Messenger—Homeschool
Jade Lopez—Leonato— Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts
Jocelyn Kluesner—Beatrice—Central Bucks South
Jenna Le—Verges, Friar—Dieruff High School
Jackson Mascio—Benedick—Saucon Valley High School
Matthew Monroe—Don Pedro, Seacole—Parkland High School
Hakeem Qayyum—Claudio—Parkland High School
Gage Reichard—Dogberry—Dieruff High School
Adryan Sein Diaz—Hero—Dieruff High School
Sam Skinner—Don John, Sexton—Moravian Academy Upper School
Cailey Sylvester—Conrad, Musician—Freedom High School
Marilou Vasquez —Margaret—Dieruff High School
Crew in alphabetical order:
Meredith Christie—Assistant Stage Manager—Homeschool
Christine Dauster—Crew—Parkland High School
Haley Jacob—Crew—Notre Dame High School
Gwen Jones—Stage Manager—Southern Lehigh High School
Parker Rosado—Crew—Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts
Lennie Vargas—Costume Coordinator—Parkland High School
Henry Ingles—Guest Lighting Designer—DeSales University
About Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival
Founded in 1992 and the Official Shakespeare Festival of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, PSF’s mission is to enrich, engage, entertain, and inspire the widest possible audience through professional theatrical productions of classic, contemporary, and Shakespearean works and through educational engagement and mentorship programs.
Pennsylvania Shakespeare Festival is the Lehigh Valley’s Professional Equity Theatre hosted on the campus of DeSales University and features acclaimed actors from Broadway, television, and film, and is the summer home to over 200 artists from around the country, including winners and nominees of the Tony, Obie, Emmy, Drama Desk, Outer Critics Circle, Jefferson, and Barrymore Awards. A leading Shakespeare theatre with a national reputation for excellence, PSF has received coverage in The Washington Post, NPR, American Theatre Magazine, Playbill.com, The Philadelphia Inquirer, and recently The New York Times identified PSF as one of the leading summer theatre festivals in the country.